Law School’s Inaugural Skill Session Led by Elite Practitioners

Posted on January 4, 2013

Oxford, Miss.–The University of Mississippi School of Law’s new program, the Skill Session, begins January 7, 2013, and focuses on providing UM law students with professional legal skill training from a set of seasoned, elite practitioners. The attorneys’ specialty areas range from international insurance litigation to entertainment law.

“The Skill Session places professional skills training at the core of the law school’s curriculum — and the adjunct professors teaching in the Skill Session are the heart of that effort,” said Matthew Hall, associate dean for academic affairs, who was the primary organizer of the Skill Session. “They are the embodiment of the law school’s ongoing partnership with the practicing bar and they represent the law school’s commitment to preparing our students to graduate with skills relevant to today’s legal practice.”

According to Hall, the instructors will be called “Professional Skills Fellows” because of their expertise and their willingness to spend their time imparting their knowledge to the students. They will teach courses such as Contract Negotiation and Drafting, Chancery Court Practice, Elder Law Workshop, Health Care Law Workshop and Lawyers as Entrepreneurs.

“The Professionals Skills Fellows are not only instructors; they are experts in their fields,” said Hall. “We rely on them to shape the structure and content of the Skill Session. They consult on lesson plans, assignments, and materials. Many of them chose the topics for their class and designed the curriculum — all in an effort to provide our students with skills training drawn from the daily work of elite practitioners and, therefore, tailored to the actual practice of law.”